


Transformers Prime Resonance

by Crasher55



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Ironhide being a slagger, M/M, Ratchet not having any of his slag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26862088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crasher55/pseuds/Crasher55
Summary: Bass has never been one to think things through, nor did he like seeing other's being pushed around. He was already in a foul mood after what happened to Cliffjumper, so when he saw a group of teens bullying someone he wasn't thinking with a clear processor. Now he's dragged Nikolai into the millennia old civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons.
Relationships: Ironhide/Ratchet (Transformers), Original Cybertronian Character(s)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I originally thought up this fic back in 2014, but was having trouble keeping focused on the plot and generally felt like the writing was garbage. This time I'll try to stick closer to the actual timeline of the show to start with whilst incorporating elements from my previous fic. Not sure how often I'll be able to update the fic, though I'm going to try to update it weekly.

_Long ago, there was a peaceful race of cybernetic beings that lived on the planet known as Cybertron. For countless millennia their race prospered greatly, leading other races to view them as an utopian society. However that couldn’t be more farther from the truth._

_As with most societies, theirs was divided into different classes based on socio-economic statuses. The upper class consisted of those who held a lot of power, be it political or monetary. They were the nobility and were thought to be untouchable to those in the lower classes. This immunity would lead many of them to abuse their power to make the lives of the lower classes a living hell. Those in the middle class were not much better._

_The middle class consisted of those who had managed to accumulate a small amount of power and influence. Not enough to fully protect themselves from the whims of the upper class, but just enough that they were able to turn a blind eye to injustices pressed upon the lower class. Some of them tried to help those in the lower class as much as they could, but the threat of the upper class punishing them would keep them from doing anything that would actually make a difference._

_Then there was those who were stuck at the very bottom of the barrel. They were the ones who were given the harshest jobs and earned very little for it. From working the Energon mines to fighting as gladiators for the amusement of the higher classes, if the job was dirty or physically demanding, it was relegated to the lower class. Some would form small gangs and bully other low or middle class citizens just to feel like they had some kind of power._

_As the rift between the classes grew, so did their hatred for each other. Inevitably this tension would break, leading to the lower class rioting in the streets. The one responsible for inciting these riots was a popular gladiator who called himself Megatronus. He wanted the entire class system to be abolished and for the upper classes to be held responsible for all the suffering they had inflicted on the lower classes. Megatronus was a highly charismatic mech, easily garnering the support of much of the lower class citizens. Initially the higher classes didn’t feel threatened by him and his supporters, viewing it as some sort of game. However, to a middle class data clerk named Orion Pax, it was the opportunity he had been searching for._

_Like Megatronus, Orion believed that the class system was extremely flawed and the rifts it caused were detrimental to their society as a whole. He was the system as shackles preventing their kind from being the utopia that other races believed they were. To him, the system hindered their freedom. And he believed that freedom was the right of all sentient beings._

_Orion eventually joined Megatronus’ rebel organization, which had been dubbed the “Decepticons” by the media. The two would eventually become extremely close to each other, and would rely on the other to help make the tougher decisions. It was thanks to this that their movement was being to be viewed as a credible threat by the upper class, leading to more violent altercations._

_This worried Orion, who felt that there was a better solution that didn’t resort to violence. So he started combing through all the data he had access to thanks to his job. Eventually he was approached by his mentor, Alpha Trion. Trion had been keeping tabs on his pupil and found his goal to be admirable. He told Orion that there was a peaceful solution to his dilemma. He told him that it would require him and Megatronus to have the senate replace the current Prime, as they were a key part of why the upper class was so corrupt._

_The Prime was the leader of Cybertron and were believed to have been chosen by their race’s creator,Primus, via the Matrix of Leadership. The matrix had once belonged to the leader of the original thirteen cybertronians to be created by Primus, and would be subsequently passed down to the one the matrix chooses to be their successor. Trion then reveals to Orion that the past few Primes weren’t actually chosen by the matrix as it had mysteriously vanished after the last chosen one suddenly vanished without a trace. The senate, worried about what might happen if the public got wind of this, appointed a new Prime to fill the void. Soon the senate began to use him as another means to get what they wanted. They would continue to do the same thing for the next couple of Primes, leading to the current Prime being just as corrupt as they were._

_When Orion asked how he’d be able to get the senate to replace the current Prime if they were the ones responsible for putting them there. Alpha Trion handed him an ancient looking map and said that was up to Orion to figure out._

_Orion wasted little time and informed Megatronus about the plan as soon as he could. Unsurprisingly the latter was pretty skeptical about it, but agreed that it was their best shot at ending the turmoil peacefully. The two of them went searching for the matrix along side two of their closest allies, the ever silent Soundwave and the no-nonsense Ultra Magnus. The map eventually led them deep within the bowels of the planet, eventually stopping at a pair of doors that refused to open for the group. After failing numerous times to get the doors to open, Megatronus had enough and was about blast them his cannon. That’s when Orion noticed an indentation on the door that was a similar size and shape to the map he’d been given. Sure enough, the map fit perfectly and caused the doors to open._

_Waiting for them behind the doors was the barely functioning body of the Prime that had gone missing. The Prime revealed that his name was Sentinel Prime and that the matrix itself had led him there all those centuries ago. The matrix had warned him that the senate was going to attempt to murder him and pin it on the lower class, as they were just then starting to cause riots. This would have given them a reason to make harsh laws to further oppress the lower classes as well as preventing any possible rebellion from forming. Orion proceeded to inform Sentinel about what has been going on whilst he’d been down there. Sentinel was willing to give up the matrix to Orion, claiming that his time as Prime has long been over and that it was time for someone else to take the reigns. It turned out that the matrix had been keeping him alive all this time so that he could pass the matrix onto someone who’d be able to find the next chosen Prime. The four mechs left with the matrix and proceeded to head towards the capital city, Iacon, determined to confront the senate._

_With the help of Alpha Trion, the four were able to secure an audience with the senate. It was obvious to them that the senate would not take them seriously without any incentive for them to be on their side. Luckily Soundwave had recorded their encounter with Sentinel Prime, as it managed to get the majority of the senate to vote for Orion’s idea._

_That day would indeed be a turning point in their civilization’s history, but not in the way anyone could have predicted. For once Orion showed the matrix to the senate, it lit up with a intense blue light. The matrix had chosen him to be the next Prime._

_Megatronus felt betrayed by the one he’d once considered to as a brother to him. He’d been the one to start the rebellion. It was he who had rallied the other lower class citizens to voice their displeasure with the senate. Orion knew nothing about what he’d gone through to get to where he was now. Despite this, he acted happy for his friend, not wanting to give him a reason to fear him._

_It wasn’t until a few weeks later that their friendship would violently break apart. Megatronus held a rally where he publicly accused Orion, now called Optimus Prime, of manipulating him in order to become the new Prime. He would go onto rename himself as Megatron and declared all out war against Optimus and his allies. This event would be the catalyst for the great war between the Decepticons, led by Megatron, and the Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, that would eventually ravage the entire planet. The fighting would eventually make the entire planet a war zone, leading to natural resources to become scarce._

_Despite the fact he had been chosen by Primus to lead his race, Optimus wasn’t able to fully compete against Megatron’s battle prowess and strategy. Optimus was soon forced to realize that the planet itself could no longer sustain their constant fighting and would soon die if nothing was done soon. There was also the fact that the Autobots had received intel that Megatron was looking to weaponize a sacred artifact known as the Allspark to use against them. He had to make a tough decision and he had to do it soon. He eventually came up with a plan to not only send the Allspark into the farthest corner of the galaxy but to have most of the remaining Autobots leave the dying planet in search for a new one to call home._

_Megatron inevitably found out about Prime’s plans and tried to stop him from succeeding. But Optimus was able keep the Allspark away from Megatron long enough to throw it into a space bridge before following it with a large ship along with the other Autobots._

_Unfortunately Megatron and some of his Decepticons were able to follow them. This lead to both ships crashing onto an unknown planet that was inhabited by a species of organic life forms that called themselves humans. The Autobots and the Decepticons would continue their war on this planet in secret by disguising themselves as the vehicles the humans had created. And the war has shown no signs in slowing down anytime soon..._


	2. Chapter 1: Darkness Rising, Worlds Colliding

**Jasper, Nevada**

It was typical day for Bass. The sun was shining, traffic was all but none existent, and there hadn’t been any Decepticon sightings in weeks. It was a perfect day for a leisurely drive, or _‘patrolling for Cons’_ as he had told Optimus.

“There’s nothing better than cruising down the open road,” He said with a content sigh, before glancing at a silver stereo sitting in the passenger seat. “Ain’t that right, Broadcast?”

“Can’t argue with that Bass-man. Mind if I blast the old scouting playlist,” the stereo replied.

“Hit me with them sick beats!”

The stereo’s screen lit up as the energetic beats of 80’s rock and roll music filled the black car’s interior. Bass had just started getting into the rhythm when his comm went off.

“And just when it was getting good,” Bass sighed as the music cut off.

:: Hey ‘Hide, what’s up? ::

:: Cliffjumper just stumbled upon an Energon deposit. Prime wants you to be his backup just in case things go sideways. I’m sending you his location now. ::

:: Nice, hopefully the Cons haven’t gotten to it yet.::

:: He says it’s just him there at the moment, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. ::

:: Don’t worry ‘Hide, I’m positive absolutely nothing bad will happen. ::

**Thirty minutes later**

He had been wrong, so very, very wrong.

He’d arrived just in time to see the Decepticon’s warship, _Nemesis_ , fire upon his fellow Autobot. Bass quickly transformed and rushed over to his teammate.

“You still functioning Cliff?” Bass asked.

“Heh...it’ll take a lot more than that to take little old Cliffjumper of line,” the red mech laughed as he picked himself up off the ground. “But I gotta feeling a sinking feeling that that was just a warning shot.”

“Scrap.”

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

“Any ideas?”

“My guess,” Cliffjumper said as he pointed at the warship. “Is that we’re going to have a fight on our hands.”

Bass turned around to see what he was pointing at and cursed quietly to himself. A hatch on the underside of the ship had opened up in order to release a squad of vehicons down upon the two Autobots.

:: Ironhide, we might need some backup.::

:: What, thought you said nothing could possibly go wrong?::

:: Now is not the time ‘Hide! We’ve got the _Nemesis_ hovering right above us and Vehicons just itching for a fight!::

:: I’ll try to send you some reinforcements, but it’ll take a while.::

:: Wait.... Is nobody manning the groundbridge?::

:: We weren’t expecting there to be any issues that would require someone to be nearby it while everyone was out.::

:: Just do the best you can to get me and Cliff some backup.::

Bass severed the connection and let out an annoyed groan. Cliffjumper turned towards him and raised an optic ridge.

“Nobody’s manning the bridge again?”

“Yeah, I can’t remember who’s turn it was, but I’m beat the scrap out of them when we finish up here.”

The sound of a jet engine quickly caught the two mechs attention. They turned to see a sleek gray jet barreling their way as it let loose a barrage of energy bullets. The two Autobots quickly dove behind the large Energon crystals, only peaking out when the barrage ceased. Bass silently signaled for Cliff to stay put before opening a hidden hatch on his back. The stereo he had been conversing with prior to meeting with Cliffjumper sprang out of the hatch, transforming into a small silver robot. He was much smaller than the other two mechs, standing around the size of a human teenager, and wore a neon blue and green Snap Back hat emblazoned with a turquoise stylized ‘M’.

“Broadcast, see if you can get close enough to Screamer and try to him distract him long enough for me and Cliff to come up with a plan,” Bass said quietly.

“Sure thing, Bass-man,” Broadcast said making finger guns towards Bass. “That Stilettoed seeker is about to face the music.”

Broadcast then dashed off around the other side of the crystal, changing his fist into a blaster.

“So.... got any bright ideas Cliff?”

—————

Broadcast silently moved from crystal to crystal, slowly making his way closer to his target. He could now hear that the seeker was in the midst of ordering the Vehicons. Broadcast stopped where he was and tried to focus in on what he was saying.

“I don’t care if we have to turn over every single pebble in this quarry, I want those sniveling Autobots captured and brought to me at once!” The gray mech ordered.

“Yes Lord Starscream!” The Vehicons replied in unison before spreading out.

‘Time for the distraction playlist.’ Broadcast thought to himself as he queued up a particular song. He then made his presence known.

“Yo scrap for brains,” Broadcast hollered as he threw a rock at Starscream. The rock didn’t do any damage to the seeker, but it still got Starscream’s attention. “I was tryin to figure out an appropriate theme song for yah. Tell me how yah like THIS!”

Broadcast immediately cranked up the volume of his speakers and started playing the Benny Hill theme song. The glare Starscream snot back at him was full of absolute hatred. Starscream responded by launching one his wrist-mounted rockets at the minicon, who was still blasting the damn song on full blast.

“GET BACK HERE YOU PIT SPAWNED MINICON!”

——————

“Sounds like your buddy’s got Screamer attention.” Cliffjumper chuckled. “Now we can deal with those Vehicons without him interfering.”

“Too bad Screamer ain’t alone slag heads.”

Both Bass and Cliffjumper spun around to see a large green and orange mech standing in behind them with his arms crossed.

“Ah frag.” Cliffjumper muttered as he morphed his hand into a gun. “The Cons have hired the Commandos.”

“Say you’re prayers Autobot scum!” The mech shouted as he aimed the cannons on his back at Bass. The cannons went off as Bass was pushed out of the way.

Then everything went black.

—————

When he came back online, he was in the med bay back at the abandoned missile silo the Autobots were using as a home base. The cannon blast had ended up missing both he and Cliffjumper, but hit one of the large Energon crystals instead. The resulting explosion caused a chain reaction that blew up nearly all of the deposit. The Cons captured Cliffjumper and Broadcast during the chaos, which explained why he was the only one being treated. To make matters worse, Cliff’s tracker went offline not long afterwards.

He needed to get some fresh air, and he didn’t care how how loudly Ratchet was yelling at him to stay put. He needed the quietness of the open road in order to process what he’d been told, and he had to do it now. He pushed his way passed the medic before he transformed and sped out of the base.

He eventually had to turn of his comm link due to Ironhide’s constant hailing. He knew it would only make the old mech even more irritated than he probably already was, but Bass didn’t care in the slightest.

His drive ended up leading him into Jasper, where he eventually park in the parking lot of a KO Burger. He thought about how things had turned out, what he could have done differently, and more importantly what was he going to do to save his partner.

Broadcast had been the closest thing Bass had to a family, other than that old slagger Ironhide. He remembered all the pranks they’d pull on other cybertronians before the war started, how annoyed ‘Hide was when he saw that they had joined the wreckers, and, more recently, their ‘patrols’ on Earth listening to the different playlists Broadcast had compiled together.

Bass was stirred from his pity party by the sound of humans arguing. He saw a group of teens grouped together around another teen. It sounded like they were harassing the kid over something called homework, whatever the scrap that was. Seeing this added to his already bad attitude. He knew that he was about to do was both stupid and likely to land him in even more trouble than he already was in, but he didn’t care. He knew that holoforms were only meant to be used to hide the fact that they didn’t need a driver to drive them, but they were able to interact with objects with a certain distance from their actual body.

Bass activated his holoform, making a seemingly normal human appear out of thin air in his driver seat. It looked like an averaged sized human male in their early twenties with short black hair wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a black hoodie with an Autobot insignia emblazoned on it. It got out of the car and casually approached the group.

“Excuse me gentlemen,” Bass said through the holoform. “But heard a bit of a commotion going on over here.”

“It ain’t none of your business, dude,” the leader of group said. “Nikolai here was learning what happens when fail to uphold his end of a bargain.”

With that the group pushed passed the holoform and walked off down the street. Bass offered a hand to the teen and helped him off of the ground. To his surprise, the teen was pretty intimidating now that he got a good look at him. He was easily 6 feet tall and looked like he could throw a mean punch.

“Thanks,” the teen said softly with his head hanging.

“It’s nothing, just noticed that you were in trouble and felt you could use some help. Though I’d have thought a kid your size would’ve been able to deal with those bullies on your own.”

“I’m not a fighter and they know it. I just try to not give them a reason to go after me. But unfortunately things turn out the way I had hoped.” The teen said sheepishly before holding a hand out to the holoform. “I’m Nikolai by the way.”

“The name’s Bastion,” Bass said shaking Nikolai’s hand. That’s when his proximity alarm went off, and it didn’t take long for him to see why. Two Vehicons hard rolled into the parking lot and were facing right at him and Nikolai.

“Aww scrap.” Bass cursed to himself.

**_TBC_ **


	3. Darkness Rising, Worlds Colliding part 2

_‘Good job slag-head,’_ Bass groaned internally. _‘You’ve managed to frag up spectacularly twice in one day.’_

Bass’ holoform quickly grabbed a hold of Nikolai’s arm and sprinted back to his alt. mode. Much to his surprise, Nikolai didn’t offer any resistance and quickly hoped into the backseat of the car.

“Strap in kid,” Bass said through the car’s stereo as he dismissed his holoform. “Thing’s are about to get interesting.”

“Well considering that I’m inside a talking car, I’d have to agree,” Nikolai said quietly to himself.

Bass wasted little time backing out of the parking spot before proceeding to speed onto the main road. He knew he wasn’t a match for the Vehicons since he’d have to protect Nikolai in addition to fighting them. He groaned inwardly as he reactivated his comm. link. He was immediately greeted to an extremely irate Ironhide.

:: Bass! Where in the fragging Pit are you! Do you realize just how much slag you’re in right now!? We’ve been trying to contact you for hours! We thought you’d gone offline!::

:: Could you please save the lecture for when I get back to the base? I’ve got a couple of Vehicons on my aft and I need some assistance.::

There was a slight pause before Ironhide spoke again.

:: You’re kidding me right? You, a member of the wreckers, need help dealing with the Cons’ cannon fodder?::

::Weeeeell I might’ve been able to, if I didn’t have some cargo with me.::

:: _*sigh*...._ Bass. What the frag is wrong with you? What would possess you to get a HUMAN CIVILIAN INVOLVED WITH US!::

:: Frag off you big rust bucket. The kid was being harassed and I felt I should step in. The Cons appeared whilst we were talking.::

:: I can vouch for him on this, ‘Hide. We ended up sulking in the same parking lot, though Bass didn’t seem to notice me.::

Bass had indeed failed to notice that Arcee had been at the KO burger. Not once did his sensors pick up her signature, just like with the Vehicons.

“Hey, uh, talking car dude,” Nikolai said tapping on the stereo. “We gained another follower.”

Nikolai pointed at a blue motorcycle that had managed to pull up next to them. The rider was lanky black haired kid who looked like he was about to shit himself, clearly just as freaked out Nikolai.

:: Who’s your new friend ‘Cee?::

:: Kid was admiring my alt. mode, when a couple of females around the same age as him started talking with him. That’s when the Cons showed up and you sped out of there like a maniac. Didn’t get a chance to ditch him.::

:: The both of you are going to be in so much slag when you get back.::

“Uhh, not to interrupt y’all’s squabble, but those cars are gaining on us!” Nikolai interjected.

:: Looks like we’re gonna have to deal with them Bass.::

:: You two try and lead them away from the town, I’ll see if I can get ‘Bee to help you.::

:: There’s an empty canal not far from us, it might be a good place for us to hide from those, whatever they are.::

“He’s right. That canal rarely ever gets used any more and the bridges that cross them can provide some solid cover for us.” Nikolai said.

“Just point the way human.”

——————

**_At the canal_ **

“He’s made the final turn, can he take the win,” a young boy muttered excitedly to himself as he fiddled with a remote control in his hand. He was controlling a toy camero, pretending that he was in the middle of a intense car race. As he was absorbed in his own little world, he failed to hear the approaching sounds of vehicles. So he was pretty startled when a black sports car and a blue motorcycle landed right in front him. When the vehicles finally came to a stop, both of their respective drivers hastily ran behind a concrete pillar, the bigger of the two grabbing the kid’s arm and dragged him with them.

He wanted to protest but the larger teen motioned for him to stay quiet and watch the vehicles. Soon two identical dark purple cars entered the canal, screeching to a complete halt before the other vehicles. The metallic sounds of shifting parts and gears filled the air as all four vehicles started transforming before their eye.

The car that the big teen had been riding turned into a robot with black and gray plating. It still had some vestiges of its car form, like the headlights on its shoulder pauldrons and the car doors sticking out from its back like a little set of wings. Instead of having a eyes and a mouth, the robot wore a black visor and mask. On its forehead, it had a dark gray head crest with a red face in the center.

The motorcycle transformed into a slightly smaller robot. It had a more feminine body shape and blue plating with metallic pink accents. It too had vestiges of its vehicle form, with the sides of the bike forming wings on its back. Unlike the other robot, this robot had electric blue eyes and a mouth (which was currently making a scowl).

The other two cars’ robot modes ended up being exactly the same as one another. They had a menacing appearance to them. Their bodies had dark purple plating, long arms that ended in deadly looking claws, and the only facial features they had were a red ‘V’ shaped slit where the eyes should have been. On their chest was a evil looking purple face.

No sooner had the four of them transformed did they start firing blasters at each other. The kids watched in a mix of interest and fear at the chaos. The fight looked evenly matched, with neither side managing to land a solid hit. Then the black bot rushed the purple ones, causing the blue one to shout something. This caused Black to get slammed with a blast to the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

“We have to help them,” the big teen muttered to himself. He looked around for something that they could use to help the black and blue robots. He then saw the toy car that the kid had been playing with, then looked at the controller in the kid’s hand. He closed his eyes and started to think. A moment later his eyes shot open. “I have an idea! Hey kid!”

“Yeah?” The kid replied.

“That your toy car out there?”

“What about it?”

“Think you can use it to distract those purple freaks?”

“I think-“ the kid started to say before being cut off by the other teen.

“Are you trying to put him in danger!” He shouted. “ One blast from their guns would vaporize us in a flash!”

“Well we can’t just do nothing!”

“Why! They were the ones who dragged us into this mess!”

“That black one saved my ass from getting beat up by Vince’s crew!”

“Oh really! A big guy like you needed to be saved from Vince? I highly doubt that.”

“You’re one to talk! You let him stuff you in a locker!”

The kid decided to tune out their bickering as he snuck over to his toy car. Once he was in range, he turned on the controller. He maneuvered the the little car into position and sent it driving into one of the purple bot’s foot. Despite not doing any damage to the bot, it still managed to grab its attention. Unfortunately for him, the bot crushed the toy car under its foot and then stared at the boy.

“Uhh, guys?!”

“WHAT!” Both teens shout at the same time.

“We should run.” The kid said before booking to an open sewer pipe.

The teens glared at each other one last time before following him.

—————

He was a fragging idiot, and definitely deserved that shot to the shoulder. He wasn’t sure exactly what he’d planned to do by rushing the Vehicons and now he was probably be terminated as a result. He was vaguely aware of that the humans were arguing with each other, but his audios were ringing like crazy and he couldn’t hear the specifics.

_‘Primus I really hate how sensitive these things are.’_ Bass thought as tried to pick himself up off the ground.

He heard the teens shout one last time before hearing the sounds of shoes hitting metal. He turned to see them running into a sewage pipe before one of the Vehicons could grab them. With the Con distracted, Bass saw the perfect opening to strike.

“Hey V face, I ain’t done with you yet!” He shouted, punching the Vehicon in the faceplate. The Vehicon was sent flying into its partner with a resounding crash.

They weren’t down for long though, quickly resuming their barrage of blaster fire. However luck was on their side as a swirling green portal opened behind the Cons, depositing to heavyset mechs, one red and black and the other an olive green.

“Sure took your sweet time ‘Hide.”

“Sorry ‘bout that, Bulk here was in the middle of refueling.” Ironhide quipped as he primed the big cannons on his arms. He then aimed them at the two Vehicons. “I highly suggest the two of yah scram while yah can.”

The Vehicons didn’t argue with him, seeing how out numbered they’d become, and retreated.

“So,” Ironhide said as he turned to Bass and Arcee. “Where the humans you were with?”

“They ran away,” Bass said timidly, not wanting meet Ironhide’s gaze. “Am I still in trouble?”

“Let’s just say that once Ratchet finishes with that pauldron, you and I are gonna have a long chat about your behavior.”

“Scrap.”

—————

**_On the Nemesis_ **

Broadcast came on line with a jolt. He looked around his environment and groaned to himself. He’d been caught by the Decepticons and was currently sitting in a holding cell.

“I’m gonna kill Bass for this.” Broadcast said as he press a button on chest. A small data pad slid out from a slot on his chest and began typing on it.

_“V,_

_I need to call in that favor you owe me._

_-M”_

**_TBC_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s art of what Bass & Broadcast look like:  
> Bass: https://www.deviantart.com/crasher55/art/Autobot-Bass-856782913  
> Broadcast: https://www.deviantart.com/crasher55/art/Broadcast-856995530


	4. Darkness Rising, Worlds Colliding part 3

Broadcast stowed away the data pad and looked around the room he was in. The Decepticons had thrown him in the brig, so he had a hunch that they needed him online for the moment. He wasn’t sure why they’d need him, but he knew it wasn’t for anything good. He had to get out there and fast.

_‘Let’s see what’s the buzz on the Nemesis,’_ Broadcast thought as he transformed into his stereo form. The stereo began to make a tuning sound as Broadcast tried hacking into the Decepticon’s comm. network. Soon enough, the sound a conversation began to play.

:: Breakdown, Screamer’s monologuing to himself, AGAIN! ::

:: What’s his big ‘scheme’ this time? Declaring Meg’s unfit to lead us and name himself the new leader? ::

:: That was last week. This time he’s managed to nab a couple of Autobots and is hoping to get the location of their base. Cliffjumper is being his normal sarcastic self, so he’ll probably try his luck with the minicon. ::

:: Explains why he had Mega Octane join him on that last mission. ::

:: Wait...I just saw Soundwave stalk by in a hurry. Looks like he’s going to brig for some reason. I’ll call you later, I got a feeling this might be interesting to watch. ::

_‘Scrap!’_ Broadcast panicked, severing the connection. He quickly transformed and tried to act as natural as he could.

Moments later Soundwave approached the entrance to his cell. Without making a single sound, he used one of his metallic tentacles to grab Broadcast’s legs and lifted him to meet his gaze.

“Autobot hacking skills: inferior.” Soundwave said emotionlessly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Broadcast lied.

Soundwave didn’t respond, just played a video of Broadcast listening in on Knock Out’s complaining. This made the minicon clam up, a sense of dread.

“Don’t suppose you could let this slide, can you?”

——————

**_The Next Day at Jasper High_ **

Nikolai was outside the high school, still thinking about the events of the previous day.

_He and the other two teens, he learned that their names were Jack and Rafael, had agreed to not tell anyone about the giant robots. He’d offered to buy Raf a new toy car, but he’d said it was fine._

_Jack ended up being in his English class and apologized to him for the argument. Nikolai eventually asked Jack if he’d like to hang out sometime, which Jack happily agreed to. They exchanged numbers before heading to their next class._

Nikolai was drawn out of his daydreaming by a car honking. He looked up and froze when he saw ‘Bastion’ waving at him. Nikolai ran over to him, a look of panic forming on his face.

“The hell are you doing here?!” Nikolai whispered frantically.

“Boss-bot wants to have a word with you and your friends.” ‘Bastion’ stated bluntly.

“No fucking way! I want no part in this bullshit!”

“Not really your choice kid. The Cons saw the three of you with us, so now it’s our job to protect your sorry aft.”

“Look, I’m grateful you helped me with those jerks yesterday, but if you think I’ll blindly trust you, you’re damn wrong.”

“I think we can trust him.”

Nikolai spun to see that Raf had snuck up behind him. Nikolai groaned before opening the passenger door and got in.

“I’m so going to regret this, I just know it.”

“The feeling’s mutual kid,” ‘Bastion’ said as he left the parking lot. “At least you guys aren’t stuck riding with Arcee.”

“Why’s that?” Raf asked.

“She’s been in a particularly foul mood lately. I almost feel sorry for the kid.”

:: Bass, we got another human joining the kids club. ::

:: Wow, and I thought you were supposed to be the stealthy one. ::

Bass started laughing when Arcee tried and failed to think of a snappy retort. The drive wasn’t as bad as Nikolai thought it was going to be, with Raf spending much of the time asking Bass questions. Bass answered some of them, though mostly said that the ‘Boss-Bot’ would be able to answer them better than he could.

Eventually they went through a hidden entrance in the side of a rock formation, and entered into an abandoned missile silo. Nikolai was in awe of what he was seeing. Eventually Bass rolled to a stop and opened the car doors. Nikolai and Raf got out and just stared at the four other robots in the room. Arcee arrived not long after them, transforming into her robot mode as soon as Jack and a girl got off her. Nikolai had seen the girl at school a few times, but never shared a class with her.

An orange and white robot was talking to slightly big red and black robot when an olive green bot tapped its shoulder and pointed at the teens.

“I thought there were only three of them,” it said.

“Haven’t you heard, humans multiply.” Arcee joked. While orange robot groaned, the red one snickered.

“I’m Raf,” Rafael said giving a slight wave.

“I’m Miko!” The girl said as she ran towards the olive green bot. “Who are you?”

“Bulkhead.”

“Are you a car? I bet you’re a truck, a monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Have you ever used a wrecking ball as a punching bag?”

“So if you’re robots, who made you?” Raf asked, trying to take the pressure off Bulkhead.

“ _Puh-_ lease,” Orange and white scoffed.

The sound of large footsteps made the teens turn around and see a large red and blue robot approach them.

“We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron,” The large bot said looking at the teens. “Also known as Autobots.”

“Why are you here?” Jack asked.

“To protect your world from the Decepticons.”

“The jokers that tried to bump us off last night.” Arcee explained.

“Why are they here?” Nikolai asked.

“A fair question Nikolai,” The big bot knelt down closer to the teens. “In part, they are here because our planet is uninhabitable. Ravaged by centuries of civil war.”

“Why are you fighting a war?” Asked Raf.

“Foremost we are fighting for control over our world’s supply of Energon, the lifeblood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike.

“The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning I fought beside one who I considered my brother, but in war ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus that Megatron lost his way.”

“ _*sigh*_ Is there gonna be a quiz on this.” Miko sighed as she messed with her hair.

“So what does Megatron, or any of this, have to do with us?” Jack asked.

“Megatron has not been seen or heard from for some time, but if his return is imminent as I fear,” The big bot said. “It could be catastrophic.”

“Why do you guys disguise yourselves as vehicles?” Nikolai asked.

“We was asked by yah government to quote: ‘Keep a low profile,’” the other red bot stated.

“This is our chief weapons specialist, Ironhide,”the big bot said, pointing to the other red bot.

“Let me know if you have anyone you need slagged.” Ironhide said as he showed off one of his cannons.

“Our medical officer, Ratchet,” Big Red said pointing to the orange and white mech.

“Ignore Ironhide,” Ratchet said, smacking Ironhide on the back of the head. “He’s all bark and no bite.”

“Oww, I was kidding Ratch,” Ironhide muttered rubbing the back of his helm.

“Our scout Bumblebee,”

_-S’up dudes.-_ A yellow and black mech beeped.

“Our demolitions expert Bulkhead,”

Bulkhead simply waved at the teens.

“And you’ve already met our surveillance expert Arcee and our intelligence expert Bass.”

“And who are you?” Raf asked.

“I am Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots.”

——————

**_Back on the Nemesis_ **

Soundwave was manning the comm. system as usual. He’d was still annoyed that Starscream hadn’t attempted to put the minicon in stasis cuffs, not that anyone could see his annoyance. He’ll make sure to mention the incident to Lord Megatron when he returns.

The comm. system beeped at him, announcing that he’d received a message. It was from Megatron.

_[Soundwave, open the space bridge. It’s time for me to return to lead my loyal Decepticons to victory.]_

**_TBC_ **


	5. Audio Feedback

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Slight torture scene at the beginning of the chapter.

Broadcast was definitely not having a good time. First, he had woken up to find that Soundwave had messed with his comm. link systems to prevent any future hacking attempts. Next he was shown Cliffjumpers lifeless corpse, Starscream proudly boasting about how easy it had been to snuff out his spark. Now, here he was, restrained to a metal examination table. It was obvious that Cliff had refused to sell out the Autobots, so now it was his turn to be on the chopping block. He knew he’d tortured within an inch of his life, but he’d been prepared for this. He’d gone through anti-interrogation training when he became an intelligence officer. What he wasn’t prepared for was that his interrogator would be the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons himself.

Megatron entered the chamber and studied him carefully. He then turned his gaze towards Cliffjumper’s lifeless frame and smirked before focusing his attention back on Broadcast.

“Looks like your last chance of escaping here has unfortunately expired, minicon.” Megatron said in mockingly sympathetic tone. “Your only chance of survival is to cooperate.”

“I’d rather get fragged by Unicron.” Broadcast spat. 

“So much bravado for such a tiny mech,” Megatron said as he pressed a button on the side of the table. “Let’s see how long it will last.”

Broadcast howled in pain as electricity shot through his frame, his HUD flashing numerous damage notifications. The shock didn’t last for long, the pain he felt was excruciating.

“Now, if you don’t want to experience that again, tell me the location of the Autobots’ base of operations.”

“Up your carrier’s exhaust port.”

** *ZAAAAAP!* **

“Where is the Autobot base.”

“Go to the Pit!”

** *ZAAAAAP!* **

“You’re only making this harder on yourself, minicon.” Megatron stated coldly. “Where are they!”

Instead of responding, Broadcast started playing a clip of  Hardware Store  by “Weird Al” and was, unsurprisingly, shocked for it. His frame couldn’t take much more of Megatron’s ‘Shock Therapy’, but frag if he’d give up his teammates. 

Just as Megatron was about continue his interrogation, time suddenly froze around Broadcast. He sighed in relief as rift in space opened beside the table. A tall bearded golden mech stepped out of the rift and smiled at Broadcast. 

“Sure took your sweet ass time there Vector.” Broadcast said as Vector freed him from his restraints. 

“I would’ve been here sooner, but that darn police box was taking forever to get out of the way.” Vector said with a slight chuckle. His smile faded when he saw Cliffjumper’s body. “It’s a shame , Micronus, that his death seems to be one of those events that the universe won’t let me interfere with.”

“Arcee’s going to be devastated when she hears the news.” Broadcast said as he got up off the table. “Well, time to see just how much slag Bass has gotten himself into.”

“Want me to drop you off at the site of the explosion?”

“If you would be so kind.”

“Just remember to be more careful next time. Optimus might start get suspicious if you keep calling on me to rescue your sorry aft.”

“I don’t ask for your help  that  often.”

Vector just shook his helm he put Broadcast on his shoulder. He then walked over to Megatron and tapped his forehead.

“You will forget that Broadcast was ever here.” Vector said in a soft yet commanding voice. Hethen walked back into the rift and closed it behind him, causing time to resume.

——————

Autobot Outpost, Jasper, Nevada 

“I’m sooo bored!” Bass groaned as dropped to his knees, letting go of a large mop he’d been holding. “I hate cleaning duty!”

“Should ‘ave thought about that before runnin’ off like an upset sparkling,” Ironhide stated calmly as he sipped on a cube of Energon. “And I wouldn’t get too comfortable, almost time to go get the kids.”

Bass just let out another groan. Optimus had assigned each of the teens a guardian, which was a reasonable idea. Didn’t mean Bass had to like it though. He was assigned to Nikolai, Arcee to Jack, Bumblebee to Raf, and Bulkhead to Miko. He and Nikolai both weren’t exactly a fan of the arrangement, but neither of them felt like arguing with Prime.

“You sure you don’t want to swap places?” Bass ask the red mech, trying pull off what the humans termed ‘Puppy-dog eyes’, despite him wearing a visor and face plate.

“I already got me servos full with you! Now hurry up before I add more to your chores list.”

Ironhide hadn’t even finished his sentence when he heard Bass zoom out of the base.

“Still think you’re being too lenient with him.” Ratchet said from his place in front of the monitoring equipment.

“He wasn’t thinking straight, Ratch. You know he’s blaming himself for what happened to Cliff and Broadcast.” Ironhide said as wrapped his arms around Ratchet’s frame. “Both he and Arcee lost their partners in that explosion, so I can’t really blame them for needing to be alone for a little bit.”

He let out a sigh, thinking about all their fallen comrades.

“I can’t wait for this damn war to be over, Ratch. We’ve lost too many bots already.”

“We’ll find them, ‘Hide,” Ratchet said, leaning into Ironhide’s embrace. “We just need to hold out hope.”

Just then the monitors started to flash as an alarm flared. Ironhide let Ratchet go and approached the screen. His optics studied the map before growing wide. He had to alert Prime. 

:: Optimus!::

:: What is it, old friend?::

:: We’re receiving a distress beacon from the area where Cliffjumper and Broadcast were last seen.::

:: I’ll be there up there in second. Can you tell who’s signal it is?::

:: That’s just it, Prime. The signal is using a frequency that hasn’t used in ages, so I can’t determine who’s it is.::

:: Then ready a ground bridge immediately. If it’s as old as you claim, then Soundwave has also picked up on it.::

:: Way ahead of you Prime.::

Optimus wasted little time reaching the main area, motioning for the smaller red mech to follow close behind him. 

——————

The Crater

“You sure this is a good idea V?” Broadcast questioned Vector. “You know this could seriously jeopardize Trion’s plan.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about it, brother. That bookworm always seems to have a backup plan or two.”

“If you say so.”

“Now remember, I’m just an old mech that happened to stumble across you. I’ll do most of the talking, just act like this was the first time you’ve met me.” Vector said as his form began to shift and be encompassed by a golden glow. 

His frame shrank a fair bit and vehicle parts started form onto his arms and legs. When he had finished changing, the glow faded away to reveal his new form. His plating was now light gray with gold accents. The front of the car made up his chest armor while a set of thrusters mounted them selves onto his back underneath the roof of the car, which draped over his back like a cape. The doors formed into his arms whilst the back of the car made up his legs. 

“I happen upon the perfect alt. mode for my self while watching some human sci-fi movies.” Vector said gleefully. “Humans can be such imaginative creatures Broadcast.”

“And what exactly should I call you?” Broadcast asked.

“You can call me... Chrono.”

“..... We really need to work on your naming choices.”

Before they could start arguing, a swirling green portal opened up in front of them. Optimus and Ironhide leapt from the ground bridge with their blasters primed and quickly surveyed the area. When they saw no sign of the Decepticons, they put away their firearms and approached Chrono and Broadcast. 

“Broadcast! Thank Primus you’re okay!” Ironhide said excitedly before the reality of the situation hit him. “Wait... where’s Cliff?”

“I’m not sure ‘Hide, the only one here when I came to was Chrono.” Broadcast said pointing to the gray mech. 

“I... I understand.” Ironhide said as he let out a defeated sigh and nodded his head slowly, his optics fill with sadness.

“You were the one that sent out the distress signal correct?” Optimus asked Chrono.

“Yeah, I found this whippersnapper half buried by rocks. Figured there might be others lookin’ for ‘im.” Chrono said with a slight laugh.

“Let’s get you two back to headquarters.” Ironhide said before he went back through the bridge. The others followed his lead. 

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter this time. Wanted to focus a bit on some character interactions as well as trying to write some emotional scenes. Also I’m pretty sure you guys can guess what Chrono’s Alt. Mode is.


End file.
